Tag Archives: Al Gore

Our Choice, By Al Gore

We are on the cusp of addressing climate change, and it is about time with the droughts, wildfires, heat waves, enormous snow and rain storms (including hurricanes) and record floods.  So recently I reviewed a book from my shelf by Al Gore.

DSC08455  If we open out the flap on the front  cover, we see the earth as it was in 2009,    with green earth and a lot of polar ice.

DSC08467 This is the title page.

DSC08468 Here is the table of contents.  This book has main sections on:

  • The Crisis
  • Our Sources of Energy
  • Living Systems
  • How We Use Energy
  • The Obstacles We Need to Overcome
  • Going Far Quickly

It is an attractive book with many illustrative color pictures.

DSC08450

DSC08463  This graph shows that California moderated its per capita energy consumption starting as early as 1976.  California got an early start on the rest of us in addressing climate change, and California demonstrates that public policy is effective in reducing energy consumption, and thus in helping to address climate change.

DSC08456 If we open up the flap and turn the page, we see a desertified North America, no polar ice over the water, and diminished polar ice over the land, and more tropical storms.  We cannot see the temperature change.  This book is a treasure trove of information and help at our fingertips.

Needs So Basic We Take Them For Granted

DSC00686 Air with water vapor

DSC00687  Water for growing food

DSC00689 Water for drinking

This is dedicated to former Vice President Al Gore for holding  the 3rd  “24 Hours of Reality Project” which this year is dedicated to the theme, “The Cost of Carbon”.

We assume that the air we breathe and the water we drink are readily available and pure.   We assume the same for the irrigation water for crops.  The truth is that we cannot take these for granted any more.

The oxygen in the air is not under assault but air pollution from the burning of fossil fuels is making it less than healthy in many places.  We need pure air.  As for the oxygen in the air,  divers are pushing the limits on how deep they can dive without a breath, but this surely is not more than a few minutes, even for people in peak condition.  Pollution in  the form of ozone fine particulates, and other contaminates is causing many people to suffer respiratory disease.

Pollution of air in the form of carbon dioxide is causing both the air and water of our planet to heat up, causing climate change.  This change is happening so fast it is already causing many problems, and we have only warmed up 0.8 degrees Celsius since before the industrial revolution began.  We are on the cusp of these problems worsening ever more rapidly, because a vicious cycle is getting started.  The higher carbon dioxide in the air is causing both the oceans and the air to be warmer.     One example is that this is causing  even more warming in the arctic to melt the sea ice which causes the water to absorb more warming sunlight, and to melt the sea ice even faster.

We all know we have to have water to drink.  The saying goes that we cannot go much more than three days without water to drink.  Beyond that, our environment needs water in the right amounts for our food to grow, and to help keep wildfires in check.  We are beginning to dry out inland, because the extra heat is evaporating the water more quickly.

So both we, and the environments on which we depend are in need of pure air and pure water.